Although the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still months away from officially clarifying certain parts of its complicated integrated disclosure rule known as TRID, the secondary market – and some attorneys – are already breathing a sigh of relief. But the big question remains: how far will the agency go? And will it provide enough clarity to ease the fears of buyers about being sued for monetary errors? The rule, which integrated consumer disclosures under the Truth in Lending Act and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, became...

Lenders are getting more comfortable with originating non-qualified mortgages, particularly as opportunities to complete refinances decline. Non-QMs accounted for 14.0 percent of mortgages originated by 159 banks in 2015, up from a 10.0 percent share of originations the previous year, according to a survey by the American Bankers Association. “More banks are adjusting underwriting criteria to target selected non-QM loan opportunities,” the trade group said. The ABA found...

After months of pleading by participants in the non-agency market, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray said the agency will issue formal guidance regarding the TRID mortgage disclosure rule. The announcement last week regarding issues involving requirements under the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act prompted relief and apprehension among industry participants. And help for the non-agency market doesn’t appear to be moving quickly, as Cordray said the effort will start with a notice of proposed rulemaking in late July. Cordray revealed...

Announcements by two real estate investment trusts that are prominent in jumbo lending underscore two key themes in the market: increased competition and the lingering headache caused by the TRID disclosure rule. Redwood Trust recently launched an “expanded prime” program known as “Redwood Choice” for correspondent sellers. “The Choice program is a prime program that is fully documented, but with credit parameters outside our more recent underwriting guidelines,” Redwood said. Choice features...

Competition in the correspondent channel prompted EverBank Financial to slow its jumbo production, according to company officials. EverBank had $724.54 million in jumbo originations in the first quarter of 2016, down 32.5 percent from the previous quarter and down 44.3 percent from the first quarter of 2015. Officials said the reduction was focused in correspondent lending. The bank also has retail and consumer direct origination channels. Robert Clements, EverBank’s chairman and CEO, said...

Ongoing declines in the volume of subprime mortgages outstanding have done little to limit regulatory issues involving subprime servicing. An estimated $287.0 billion in subprime mortgages were outstanding as of the end of the first quarter of 2016, down 16.3 percent from the first quarter of 2015, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released...[Includes one data table]

The costs of ongoing monitoring mandated by various regulators contributed to the large $111.2 million net loss posted by Ocwen Financial in the first quarter of 2016 that included $30.0 million in monitoring costs. Ocwen continues to make progress toward decreasing settlement-related costs though regulatory pressures persist. Ocwen’s monitor costs were...

Among the government-sponsored enterprises’ holdings of nonprime mortgages, non-agency mortgage-backed securities are declining much more quickly than purchased/guaranteed mortgages, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The combined nonprime MBS holdings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac declined by 9.6 percent during the first quarter of 2016 compared with the end of 2015. The GSEs’ combined purchased/guaranteed holdings of subprime mortgages and Alt A mortgages declined by 4.1 percent in that time. Similar trends are evident on a yearly basis. MBS account...

Caliber Home Loans recently loosened the standards for one of its non-qualified mortgage products. The lender’s “Fresh Start” mortgage now allows loan-to-value ratios up to 85.0 percent, up from 80.0 percent. And private mortgage insurance isn’t...[Includes five briefs]

Retail loan originations account for most new VA lending, but the correspondent channel plays an outsized role in the FHA market, especially in purchase-mortgage lending, according to a new analysis of Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities data by Inside FHA/VA Lending. Over half (51.1 percent) of VA loans securitized through Ginnie MBS in the first quarter of 2016 were retail originations, but only 39.1 percent of FHA loans came through that channel. The biggest source of FHA loans was correspondent lenders, which accounted for 45.8 percent of loans securitized during the first three months of this year. That was actually slightly below the 49.2 percent correspondent share of FHA loans back in 2014 and 46.8 percent last year. Correspondents accounted for well over half (53.9 percent) of FHA purchase mortgages during the first quarter, while playing a more ... [ 3 charts ]